


Twenty Nine Minutes

by MyCedarChest



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Destruction of Vulcan, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 14:29:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5209340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyCedarChest/pseuds/MyCedarChest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When every second counts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twenty Nine Minutes

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the characters in this story belong to Paramount and whoever else has current legal ownership of all things Star Trek at the moment. No infringement on any corporate, business, or individual’s rights is intended in any way. This story is not being written for profit, just for enjoyment.

Twenty Nine Minutes

Within seconds after Nero had ‘invited’ Captain Pike aboard his ship and cut the video feed, Uhura’s monitors came alive with voices. Events had been unfolding so quickly since the Enterprise had dropped out of warp drive near the planet Vulcan that she was almost overwhelmed emotionally by what was happening around her now. She quickly tamped down the near panic she felt by focusing on the urgency of the voices now asking for her assistance.

As acting communications officer, she knew that she had her duty to perform. And right now her duty was to act as communications coordinator during emergency search and rescue operations. She had only read about such a task before during one course on Star Fleet procedures at the Academy last year. And because of her heavy course load for that semester, she had only managed to participate in three emergency rescue sims that were optional for the course. She now regretted that she hadn’t taken more.

But her photographic memory and her own gut instincts quickly took over as she began to talk. Lives were depending on her now….many, many lives. She tried her best to keep her voice calm in the midst of the desperate calls for assistance as she coordinated with the Enterprise Search and Rescue and Damage Control departments as they all worked together to find and retrieve survivors. Time was of the essence here.

She pulled up the Life Sciences Bio-Scan screens up onto the big screen above her work station so as to be able to ‘see’ the positions of the various rescue pods, life pods, as well as the shuttle crafts as they stood out against the death and destruction now in orbit with them around Vulcan. She focused on each life form reading on the screen as she did her best to both calm and direct the pilot or crew member in control of each particular craft to the proper location of the airlock or hanger that would bring them safely on board the Enterprise. She quickly realized that Search and Rescue was even utilizing the waste airlocks of the Enterprise in this rescue effort as these airlocks began to show up on her screen. She quickly began directing the smaller life pods to these airlocks in an effort to expedite getting them on board the Enterprise.

Uhura refused to think about the possibility that the Enterprise could be destroyed by Nero at any moment. She knew both the Romulan languages as well as their customs well. Nero would most likely not interfere with their attempt at rescuing their fellow crew members.

She noted the minutes and seconds quickly moving by on her chronometer when she was able to spare a quick glance towards it as she forced herself to tear her eyes away from her screens. She had remembered an excerpt from one of the study guides at the Academy that rescue work was measured in seconds and minutes and recovery work was measured in hours and days. And she knew for a fact that the minutes and seconds left to them were most precious indeed. And Uhura also knew without a doubt that every second given to them now counted as at least one life saved.

As she continued to give out instructions calmly and accurately, she heard Spock return to the bridge after sending off Captain Pike. Under any other circumstances she would be proud of her beloved on his field promotion, but at the present time all she could feel was concern. She was suddenly mindful of her emotions as Spock would no doubt be able to feel her fear and worry through their bond. She was usually an optimist during trying times, but she suddenly felt that her spirit of optimism was ebbing quickly away. She shook her head slightly in silent refusal to allow such thoughts, and immediately refocused on her rescue duties.

Within seconds she felt Spock at her side. She looked up and saw him standing at her station, one hand placed on the back of her chair and the other on the side of her console. “I am fine.” He told her as he leaned down close to her speaking quietly in Vulcan. “And we will be fine.” He finished his eyes now locking with hers. She immediately felt the comfort and confidence that their bond had always given her and she smiled up at him in thanks.

“I believe you, my beloved.” She replied back to him also in Vulcan. He quickly nodded to her and swiftly walked back to the Captain’s chair. Her optimism now recharged, she began to focus once again on her screens and her duties.

Suddenly a very familiar voice filled up her earpiece. “Ny, is that you?” Gaila’s voice asked cautiously.

Uhura emotional control nearly broke at the sound of her roommate’s voice. “Gaila!” she responded with relief. “Yes, it’s me.” She replied more calmly knowing that time was of the essence here. “Now shut up and listen to me for a change.” She quickly commanded. “I have your shuttle on screen now. Looks like your propulsion system is out, but your hull is intact. Everyone OK in there with you?” Uhura noted that the Life Science screen indicated very weak life readings for 12 of the crew members on board with Gaila. There appeared to be a total of 20 crew members on board, no doubt crammed into the small craft.

“We’ve got one medic in here and she is doing all she can to help out our injured.” Gaila replied tersely

“Understood. We are going to do our best to get you on board as fast as we can. You have to just hang in there for now.” Uhura informed her calmly, knowing inside that given the damage and injuries aboard the Enterprise, Gaila’s medic was pretty much on her own even after they boarded the Enterprise. Medical was able to spare some of its medics to the shuttle bays, but they were no doubt overwhelmed with injuries. But at least on board the Enterprise, Gaila’s crew mates had a chance. And Uhura was determined now that they get that chance. ”S&R wants you to turn your shuttle to towards our aft cargo deck so they can get a tractor beam on you and haul you in.”

“Affirmative.” Gaila replied “We’ve got enough thrusters to make the turn towards the Enterprise, but…”

“Don’t worry Gaila.” Uhura interrupted her with resolve and confidence in her voice “We’ll get all of you on board.”

“I believe you, Ny.” Gaila replied quietly as Uhura noted the shift in position of Gaila’s shuttle as she fired the thrusters. Uhura then heard Gaila’s voice much stronger and more confident now. “Awaiting tractor tow, Enterprise. Farragut shuttle Triton out.”

Uhura immediately picked up another distress call this time from one of the Constellation’s larger shuttle, Antares. She quickly directed them to the larger of the shuttle hangers on board the Enterprise. 

She glanced up at her bio scan monitor and saw that there were now 12 Vulcan transports headed towards the Enterprise. She switched to Vulcan and calmly began to position these ships so that they could land within the Enterprise’s largest shuttle bay. After the Vulcan ships had landed, she spared a glance to the Life Science screen and she noticed that only seven crafts with viable life forms aboard were left to be rescued.

She had now lost count of the number of survivors that they had rescued so far. She stole a quick glance at the chronometer. It had now been 25 minutes and 41 seconds since they had started their search and rescue mission.

As she communicated with several life pods at once, she could now hear in the background that Spock was speaking with who she thought was Doctor McCoy. He was no doubt checking on causalities. She could also hear Chekov calling out distances for Kirk, Sulu, and Olson’s space jump. Uhura knew that Vulcan and possibly the Enterprise’s fate now rested with the three space jumpers and she quickly and silently prayed for their safety and success.

Suddenly the S&R chief, Charlie Robinson was talking loudly in her ear. The sound of his voice in her ear made her immediately look up at the Life Science screen and she noticed that no viable life forms remained on the screen. They had done it.

“Lieutenant Uhura” Charlie said breathlessly in his deep baritone voice “we have them all on board now and even though our medics are spread pretty thin, preliminary reports indicate that most of ‘em will survive.”

Uhura truly intended to buy that man a drink or maybe two or three on shore leave….. that is if they all lived through this. “Understood and thanks Charlie!”

“Thanks to you too, Lieutenant.” Charlie replied “Job well done.”

Uhura looked up at the chronometer: A total of twenty nine minutes and seven seconds had elapsed since they had started their search and recovery mission. She tried to focus on the fact that they had managed to save many of their fellow Star Fleet crew members as well as Vulcan citizens in such a short span of time and under such dire conditions. She then silently bowed her head and prayed fervently that they could now save themselves too.

Opening her eyes once again, she immediately turned in her chair and gave her full attention to Chekov who was reporting on the current positions of the space jumpers as he called out distances, the precious seconds ticking away with his words as they all waited…..and hoped.


End file.
